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: field · face · chair · bore · coach · current · straw · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. face — to confront
  7. bore — to drill
  8. field — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bore — to tire
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. current — of water
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — electric

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