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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. firm — a company
  9. swing — in golf
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spring — of water
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. lean — to bend
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — the season
  24. leaves — lets stay

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