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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — of water
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — electric
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. degree — from a university
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — of water
  10. shower — rain
  11. spring — the season
  12. degree — an amount
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. current — happening now
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a committee
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — boats
  24. board — to get on

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