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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. degree — an amount
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. prune — the fruit

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