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

Word bank: kick · tear · mate · rest · track · rash · degree · cold

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cold — not warm
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cold — an illness
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — to breed
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — in football
  19. track — a song
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — what's left

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