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: mug · cell · chair · hand · wave · rush · content · tear

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tear — from crying
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. content — the amount
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — a professorship

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