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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — a hole
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mark — a trace
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — to rob
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mark — a grade

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