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 116 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: bat · prune · hand · ruler · content · degree · staff · dip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — happy
  20. staff — employees
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — for baseball

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