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 · shower · degree · mark · scale · wax · current · object

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — a leader
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — electric
  10. mark — a trace
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — in music
  17. object — to protest
  18. current — happening now
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — a thing
  21. shower — rain
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — a grade

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