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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — from a university
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. scale — in music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. track — to keep track
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. track — a path
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kick — in football
  23. track — a song
  24. squash — the sport

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