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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chair — a leader
  4. march — the month
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — in football
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. march — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rule — a law
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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