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: spring · kid · plane · lie · foot · chair · squash · wound

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — of water
  19. plane — a tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. kid — to tease

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