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: pop · rash · staff · chair · land · tear · pitch · plane

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rash — a series
  15. land — ground
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — to come down

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