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: mate · safe · branch · sharp · cold · roll · degree · arm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. roll — a list
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. branch — a division
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cold — not warm
  24. safe — a strongbox

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