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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bark — to shout
  5. craft — boats
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — a position
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — a skill
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — the animal

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