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 120 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: chair · plane · leaves · saw · rush · degree · spring · lie

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lie — to recline
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — of water
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — a leader
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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