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 · kick · row · fan · rule · root · wake · degree

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — a law
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a line
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chair — a leader
  11. root — of a word
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — government
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — in football
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. root — of a plant

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