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: court · land · plane · chair · cabinet · date · pitcher · kick

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. plane — a tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kick — in football
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chair — a leader
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. land — ground
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pitcher — a jug

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