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: rest · jam · march · chip · pass · field · stock · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — a subject
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. field — farmland
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. march — music

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