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: court · bear · game · file · rash · chair · straw · drill

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. drill — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — a match
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. file — a document
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. drill — army training
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. game — wild animals
  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