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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — for digging
  4. swing — music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — a price
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. squash — the sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — to push
  12. swing — to play on
  13. court — of law
  14. charge — in control
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — in a road
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — in golf
  24. court — of a king

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