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 120 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: chair · rash · season · key · swing · bark

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — in golf
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. swing — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chair — a leader
  16. key — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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