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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — a stick
  5. degree — from a university
  6. charge — a price
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — an amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. content — the amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. charge — electricity
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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