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: object · file · current · wake · degree · chair · game · mate

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a match
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — an aim
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — of water
  20. object — a thing
  21. current — happening now
  22. object — to protest
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mate — a friend

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