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: spell · kick · racket · pop · fall · degree · track · snap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a path
  11. kick — in football
  12. snap — to click
  13. spell — magic
  14. track — a song
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. racket — for tennis

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