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 · toast · snap · sharp · chair · fall · roll · field

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — a leader
  7. court — of a king
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. sharp — clever
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. court — of law
  12. roll — a list
  13. field — farmland
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — for sport
  17. fall — the season
  18. toast — bread
  19. roll — a cake
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — exactly

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