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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. charge — in control
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spring — a coil
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kid — child
  23. lean — thin
  24. degree — from a university

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