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: object · sharp · march · cap · roll · chair · season · hand

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — of ice
  4. roll — a cake
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. season — in sport
  22. roll — a list
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — to sit on

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