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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spring — the season
  5. foot — a measure
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — an amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hand — help
  24. prune — to trim

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