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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — from a university
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lean — to bend
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lean — thin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rush — a thrill

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