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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mug — a face
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — army training
  15. degree — an amount
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer

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