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: season · trunk · hand · wake · fall · object · row · chair

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. fall — the season
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. object — to protest
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — in cards

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