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: ground · game · staff · capital · chair · degree · charge · cue

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cue — a hint
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cue — a signal
  9. capital — a city
  10. staff — employees
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — a match
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — a price
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. capital — money
  22. charge — electricity
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a leader

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