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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mug — a face
  15. fall — the season
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — a cup

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