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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bank — of a river
  3. season — of the year
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. track — to keep track
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. court — of a king

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