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: rash · kick · cabinet · degree · suit · bat · jam · land

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — to fit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — a country
  23. degree — temperature
  24. land — to come down

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