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 116 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: board · chair · pound · last · court · fall · scale · rash

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — the season
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. last — final
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — of law
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a committee
  19. pound — a weight
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. scale — size or range
  23. board — to get on
  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