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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — to come down
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — a country
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bass — low music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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