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 120 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: kick · squash · chair · ball · sharp · march · court · fan

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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