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 · current · race · charge · lie · net · bat · coach

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — electric
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — of water
  8. race — the arms race
  9. charge — in control
  10. race — humankind
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — from a university
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. charge — a price
  19. current — happening now
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — for catching

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