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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. game — wild animals
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — a subject
  8. kid — child
  9. degree — temperature
  10. field — farmland
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — for sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a match
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — from a university
  24. firm — steady

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