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 120 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: pit · chair · foot · racket · shower · court · band · file

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. court — of law
  5. band — a ring
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — of a king
  10. foot — a measure
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a line of people
  13. court — for sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. shower — rain
  24. file — a document

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