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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — boats
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — a break
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. object — to protest
  24. suit — clothes

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