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: perch · chair · game · pit · track · cell · club · mug

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — for golf
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mug — a cup
  9. track — a path
  10. cell — a phone
  11. club — a group
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mug — a face
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pit — in a race
  23. track — a song
  24. perch — for a bird

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