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: cold · kid · foot · object · land · face · cabinet · chair

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. land — a country
  3. object — an aim
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — ground
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — a leader
  13. object — to protest
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — to come down
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chair — to sit on

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