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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — the amount
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — a series
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. foot — a measure
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. content — happy

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