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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — to come down
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. degree — from a university
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. net — after costs
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. net — for catching

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