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: fork · kid · present · chair · court · board

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. 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. chair — to sit on
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — a committee
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — a gift
  12. court — of law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kid — child
  15. court — for sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. 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