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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to click
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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