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 · dip · patient · arm · craft · mine · spell · cap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spell — magic
  21. craft — a skill
  22. dip — to sink
  23. craft — boats
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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