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: pass · chair · capital · bark · chest · degree · stand · cue

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — a permit
  12. chest — a box
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a city
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — a professorship

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