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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — boats
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cold — not warm
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — an illness

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