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: land · swing · present · pound · calf · chair

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — music
  8. present — a gift
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. present — there
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. land — ground
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. calf — a young animal

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