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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — in music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — the sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chair — a leader
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. squash — to crush
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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