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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — a box
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. march — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — from a university
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. can — a tin

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