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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — the time now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — temperature
  12. deal — to handle
  13. present — there
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. race — the arms race

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