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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — a leader
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. court — of law
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — of a king
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pass — a permit

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