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 120 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: fan · chair · pop · tear · staff · vault · dip · fork

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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 leader
  2. pop — music
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. dip — to sink
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pop — soda
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fork — to eat with
  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