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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — for sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. staff — employees
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. field — farmland
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — thin
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spell — letters
  24. lean — to rest against

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