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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. clip — to cut
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — a safe
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — a short time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — magic
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. spell — letters

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