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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — of water
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ball — a dance
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — electric
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ball — a great time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a round shape

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