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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — a series
  7. key — in music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — from a university
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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