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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chair — a leader
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. craft — a skill

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