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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — a country
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — after costs
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. current — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — electric
  20. net — in sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. land — to come down
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. arm — part of the body

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