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 water is too ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cold — an illness
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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