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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spring — a coil
  4. face — to confront
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — temperature
  10. drill — army training
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spring — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — a path
  18. degree — from a university
  19. current — of water
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — electric
  22. track — a song
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. track — to keep track

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