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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. sharp — clever
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. key — in music
  13. firm — steady
  14. degree — from a university
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — decided
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. key — the most important part
  24. firm — a company

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