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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rash — a series
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — a trail
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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