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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a ring
  4. kick — in football
  5. degree — from a university
  6. current — happening now
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mark — a grade
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — there
  15. current — electric
  16. rash — a series
  17. present — the time now
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lie — to recline

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