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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — the amount
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — temperature
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — thin
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. content — happy
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rash — a series
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rush — to 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