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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mine — for digging
  5. snap — to click
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a line of people
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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