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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lean — thin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. degree — temperature
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pass — a permit
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — in football
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mug — to rob
  18. row — a line
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mug — a face
  24. row — a quarrel

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