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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. file — a line of people
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to click
  15. craft — boats
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. degree — from a university
  19. file — a document
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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