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 116 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: nail · chair · cabinet · swing · court · cold · charge · capital

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. capital — a city
  6. court — of a king
  7. charge — a price
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. charge — in control
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — of law
  24. cold — an illness

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