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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mate — a partner
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. pound — to hit hard

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