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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. present — a gift
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — the time now
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. roll — a list
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. foot — a measure
  10. capital — money
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — a leader
  14. club — a group
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. present — there
  21. kick — in football
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  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