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: chair · last · mug · rock · court · cap · bore · spell

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — a face
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — for sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. court — of a king
  14. rock — music
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. last — final
  24. spell — a short time

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