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. The water is too ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bore — to drill
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bore — to tire
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cold — an illness
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — in football
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wind — moving air

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