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: saw · temple · kid · degree · game · snap · deal · stem

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — child
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. deal — to handle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. game — wild animals

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