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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — a tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to click
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rule — government
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. season — in sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. degree — from a university
  24. season — of the year

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