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 124 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: land · temple · file · content · chair · stand · foot · rest

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — happy
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. file — a line of people
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. file — a document
  13. foot — a measure
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. content — the amount
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rest — a break
  21. chair — a leader
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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