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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — letters
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. present — there
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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