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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. field — farmland
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — hurry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — a box
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. field — a subject
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. degree — from a university

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