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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a grade
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — army training
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — dry grass

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