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

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — of water
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — of a king
  13. staff — a stick
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. court — of law
  16. spring — a coil
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — the season

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