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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rush — hurry
  4. face — to confront
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — of water
  8. spring — of water
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. tube — a container
  24. face — part of the head

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