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 · hand · chair · march · mug · bound · leaves · deal

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. march — the month

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