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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bank — of a river
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bank — for money

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