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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — an amount
  7. charge — electricity
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. court — for sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of a king
  24. degree — from a university

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