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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — rain
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. key — the most important part
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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