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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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 — from a university
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — a leader
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — in sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tube — a container
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. season — of the year
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. squash — to crush
  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