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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — money
  10. bass — low music
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — a country
  15. branch — a division
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a city
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. branch — of a bank

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