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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. present — the time now
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — to rule out

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