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

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — help
  5. can — a tin
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — child
  14. suit — clothes
  15. kid — to tease
  16. can — to be able to
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry

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