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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mug — to rob
  4. shower — to wash
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to click
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — temperature
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — an amount
  14. shower — rain
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — for sport
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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