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: toast · chest · scale · cabinet · chair · staff · swing · pop

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. chest — a box
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — to visit
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. scale — size or range
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. swing — music
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. toast — bread

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