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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chair — a leader
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — a phone
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — a cup
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mug — a face
  22. pit — in a race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chair — a professorship

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