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 · track · club · arm · bear · spell · chair · hide

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — a group
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — for sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spell — magic
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — letters
  22. club — for dancing
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chair — a leader

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