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: present · chest · ruler · stand · clip · foot · land · chair

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. foot — a measure
  12. clip — a video
  13. land — ground
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — for paper
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chest — a box
  21. present — the time now
  22. stand — to bear
  23. present — there
  24. ruler — for measuring

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