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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — a gift
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. present — the time now
  6. spell — a short time
  7. present — there
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. degree — from a university
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bowl — a football final

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