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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — help
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tube — a container
  18. degree — from a university
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pit — a hole
  24. arm — part of the body

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