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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chest — a box
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. toast — bread
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. face — to confront
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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