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: board · game · chest · tube · degree · fan · lash · calf

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tube — a container
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chest — a box
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — to get on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — temperature
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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