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 124 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. degree — temperature
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. row — a line
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — in football
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kick — with a leg

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