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: land · fall · nail · plane · cell · hand · chair · coach

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. land — to come down
  4. fall — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fall — to drop
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cell — in a prison
  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