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: drill · saw · chair · stick · cap · chest · toast · cold

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cap — a lid
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cap — a hat
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. drill — army training
  20. cap — of ice
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chair — to sit on

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