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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — to rob
  9. march — music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rash — a series
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — in music
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — the month

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