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: spell · stock · chair · court · pitcher · pass · drill · content

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spell — magic
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of a king
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. content — happy
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. content — the amount
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of law
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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