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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chest — a box
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — low music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lean — to bend
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rest — a break
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a list
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — a supporter

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