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 116 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: tear · present · season · wind · court · saw · net · chair

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — after costs
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. present — the time now
  10. court — of a king
  11. present — there
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. present — a gift
  19. court — of law
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — to add flavour

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