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: leaves · rest · bulb · chair · staff · charge · race · cold

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — a contest
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — a price
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. charge — electricity
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rest — a break
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — for light

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