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 · cabinet · shower · coach · pound · rule · mark · bear

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rule — government
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — a law
  24. coach — a trainer

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