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: row · sharp · chair · cap · pop · fall · court · object

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. object — to protest
  6. fall — the season
  7. row — to paddle
  8. object — a thing
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. sharp — exactly

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