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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bore — to drill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. can — to be able to
  24. degree — from a university

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