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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — shares
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pitcher — a jug

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