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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — farmland
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a document
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a line of people
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — a subject
  15. file — a tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cap — a hat

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