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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a partner
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. race — humankind
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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