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: degree · nail · snap · chest · bass · craft · mate · game

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chest — of your body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — a box
  11. mate — to breed
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — boats
  14. mate — a friend
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. snap — to click
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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