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: rash · chair · tube · pitcher · chip · stand · cap · court

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. court — of a king
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stand — for spectators

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