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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. hand — help
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pass — a permit
  17. object — an aim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to spend time
  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