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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hand — help
  7. cap — a hat
  8. root — of a word
  9. degree — from a university
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — of a plant
  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