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: coach · lie · chair · wind · shower · saw · fine · clip

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fine — high quality
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. clip — for paper
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — to recline
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. shower — to wash
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — rain
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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