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: foot · cold · degree · rule · rush · club · cell · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rule — a law
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cell — a phone
  21. club — for golf
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rule — government

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