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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — electric
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. current — of water
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — all right
  24. current — happening now

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