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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. toast — bread
  3. file — a tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — from a university
  9. file — a document
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a line of people
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cue — a signal
  18. race — a contest
  19. degree — an amount
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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