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: face · chair · squash · kid · chip · staff · pitcher · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — to tease
  8. squash — to crush
  9. staff — a stick
  10. face — to confront
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — part of the head
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chip — to eat
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. face — to point toward

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