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: roll · wave · mate · court · chair · tear · land · plane

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — ground
  8. court — of law
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. court — for sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. court — of a king
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — a list
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. roll — a cake
  24. land — a country

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