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 120 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: chair · squash · drill · land · bowl · coach · perch · scale

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — ground
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. scale — size or range
  22. squash — to crush
  23. drill — a practice
  24. coach — a trainer

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