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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — tied together
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bound — certain
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bound — obliged
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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