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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — to play on
  4. staff — employees
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. court — of a king
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — the cause
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — in golf
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — hasty
  17. root — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. court — of law
  20. chair — a leader
  21. root — of a word
  22. staff — employees
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. press — newspapers

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