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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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