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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitch — completely
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rule — government
  15. bear — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rule — a law
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. shower — rain
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — a phone

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