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 · fall · bulb · perch · spell · rest · patient · hand

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hand — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rest — a break
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spell — magic

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