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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rest — a break
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wind — moving air

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