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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wind — moving air
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to click
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bowl — a dish

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