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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — of a king
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tube — the underground
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — steady
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a document
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — happy
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. tube — a container
  21. court — for sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. degree — temperature

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