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: rock · jam · chair · branch · track · land · chest · court

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — for sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. land — to come down
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of a king
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of law
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — a division
  24. chair — a leader

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