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: field · chip · chest · bound · squash · vault · rush · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chip — to eat
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — a subject
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — farmland
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — to sit on

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