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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to click
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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