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: pitcher · chair · cell · snap · pit · stick · lie · cap

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — of ice
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lie — an untruth

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