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: row · season · bound · current · chair · cell · court · club

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — a group
  4. court — of law
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. court — for sport
  9. row — to paddle
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chair — a leader
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — a phone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. current — happening now
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. court — of a king
  24. row — a line

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