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: court · jam · degree · bound · chair · ruler · board · stock

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. bound — certain
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — a committee
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — for sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — to get on
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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