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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chair — a leader
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bore — to drill
  19. clip — a video
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. ground — the earth
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bore — to tire

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