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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. court — of a king
  6. land — ground
  7. court — for sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — of law
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. net — after costs
  14. land — to come down
  15. squash — to crush
  16. land — a country
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. suit — in cards
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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