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: sharp · fine · rush · kid · mate · ground · degree · capital

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — the earth
  7. capital — money
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kid — child
  12. mate — a friend
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fine — high quality
  16. capital — a city
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fine — all right
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — exactly

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