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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · temple · staff · content · chair · wind

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — the amount
  7. staff — employees
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — a stick
  18. temple — side of the head

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