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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · chair · fall · kick · race · straw

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. charge — a price
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. race — the arms race
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kick — in football
  13. fall — the season
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — humankind
  16. charge — in control
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. straw — dry grass

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