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: key · bound · chair · mark · staff · bark · pitch · bass

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. key — in music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pitch — a sports field

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