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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rash — hasty
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a trace
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — temperature
  14. date — the fruit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rash — a series
  17. row — to paddle
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the fish
  24. row — a line

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