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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — an aim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. suit — clothes
  10. object — a thing
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — clever
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — a box
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. object — to protest

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