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: stick · net · cue · chair · can · bear · field · file

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a document
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. can — a tin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — farmland
  20. file — a line of people
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a tool
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — to be able to

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