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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. charge — electricity
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — a price
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. degree — temperature
  24. charge — in control

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