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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. snap — to click
  3. row — a line
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mark — a trace
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rash — hasty
  12. row — to paddle
  13. suit — in cards
  14. shower — to wash
  15. key — the most important part
  16. suit — clothes
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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