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: scale · club · stand · chair · clip · bowl · root · hand

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. clip — to cut
  6. scale — in music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — help
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — of a word
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. clip — for paper
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — a professorship

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