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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kid — child
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. suit — in cards
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bear — the animal
  24. suit — to fit

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