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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bank — for money
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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