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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — to crush
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — a trail

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