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 found your soul ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — a practice
  3. degree — from a university
  4. club — for golf
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mate — a friend
  14. suit — clothes
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. club — a group
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. degree — temperature

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