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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — from a university
  19. squash — to crush
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. leaves — to go away

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