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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. ball — a great time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — hurry

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