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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · pitcher · chair · face · staff · rule · craft · field

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. craft — boats
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — a subject
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rule — government
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rule — a law
  17. field — farmland
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. craft — a skill
  24. face — to confront

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