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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — an amount
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — clever
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cap — of ice

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