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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — army training
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — a city
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spell — magic

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