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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rule — government
  8. vault — a safe
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rest — a break
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rule — a law
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. degree — from a university

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