ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — for betting
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. kid — child
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com