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: club · charge · roll · rule · swing · chair · patient · chest

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — a price
  3. chest — a box
  4. roll — a cake
  5. charge — in control
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — to play on
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a leader
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — government
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. charge — electricity
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. club — a group
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. club — for golf
  24. rule — a law

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