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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. craft — boats
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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