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: straw · rash · court · chair · rule · bay · hide · bat

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rash — a series
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rule — a law

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