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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. land — ground
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. cue — a hint
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. land — a country
  9. cue — for pool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chair — a leader
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — to go on
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — in football
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kick — a thrill

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