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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in biology
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — a friend
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. last — finally
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. swing — to play on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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