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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a song
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — a tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rush — hurry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. degree — temperature
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. plane — in geometry

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