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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — high quality
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. current — happening now
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. current — electric
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fine — all right
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. degree — from a university

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