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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rest — a break
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — farmland
  13. tube — a container
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — all right
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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