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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. charge — in control
  12. degree — temperature
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — the amount
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — happy
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chair — a leader
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — a weight

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