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: chair · foot · row · jam · tube · degree · leaves · patient

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. foot — a measure
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tube — a container
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — from a university
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. row — a line
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. patient — a sick person

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