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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. net — after costs
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bank — for money
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spell — letters
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lie — to recline
  24. net — for catching

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