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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a city
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. club — a group
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — money
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — the fish
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. club — for golf

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