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: fork · squash · season · mate · leaves · chair · bat · clip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. clip — a video
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mate — a partner
  12. clip — to cut
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. season — in sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fork — in a road

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