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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pit — in a race
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. degree — from a university
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — a phone
  23. degree — an amount
  24. deal — to handle

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