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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — music
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — a group
  11. rest — a break
  12. spring — a coil
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — of water
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. spring — the season

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