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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — a path
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — the season
  10. bank — for money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. degree — from a university
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a song

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