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: chair · mine · cue · press · court · nail · straw · stock

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — for sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. court — of law
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — newspapers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of a king
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cue — a hint

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