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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. object — to protest
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. object — a thing
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. date — the fruit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. object — an aim
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. degree — an amount
  24. arm — a part of something

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