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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — not warm
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cold — an illness
  10. degree — temperature
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. degree — an amount

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