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: chair · saw · vault · bat · march · rash · bass · press

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the fish
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. march — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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