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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fall — the season
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. degree — an amount
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. ball — a dance

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