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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spell — letters
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. degree — an amount
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. scale — in music
  16. spell — magic
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — a tin

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