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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — a face
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — an amount
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. net — after costs
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mug — a cup
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — in sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to click

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