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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kid — child
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — a thrill

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