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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spell — letters
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — soda
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. pop — music
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a match
  24. degree — an amount

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