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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. object — a thing
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fork — in a road

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