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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — the season
  7. charge — in control
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. charge — a price
  16. squash — the sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — a permit
  24. charge — electricity

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