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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — temperature

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