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: mark · chair · spring · pass · straw · cold · bass · mouse

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — a coil
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — an illness
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spring — the season

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