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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — employees
  16. fine — all right
  17. staff — employees
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. staff — a stick
  21. sharp — clever
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — temperature

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