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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. object — an aim
  5. rash — hasty
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — letters
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. object — a thing
  14. plane — a tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. object — to protest
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rash — a series

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