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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — the month
  10. hand — help
  11. chair — a leader
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bowl — to roll

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