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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — child
  3. chest — a box
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — boats
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. perch — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kick — a thrill

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