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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · dip · degree · spell · field · arm

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. spell — magic
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. arm — part of the body

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