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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a match
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — hurry
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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