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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — a box
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — to come down
  6. chair — a leader
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — a face
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — ground
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lie — to recline
  15. club — for golf
  16. mug — to rob
  17. land — a country
  18. spell — magic
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — a group

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