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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — of water
  4. degree — from a university
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. degree — temperature
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. object — a thing
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mug — a face
  24. key — for a lock

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