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: bowl · court · mine · wake · last · chair · rock · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — music
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. last — to go on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. object — an aim
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. object — to protest
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of law
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mine — for digging
  23. court — for sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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