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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spell — magic
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spell — letters
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spell — a short time

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