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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. degree — from a university
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — child
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitch — completely
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — to tease
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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