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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — of water
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — electric
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — help
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — magic
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — the season
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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