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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitch — completely
  7. staff — employees
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. staff — a stick
  14. degree — from a university
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. can — a tin

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