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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. deal — to handle
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — a series

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