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 120 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: clip · band · mate · degree · patient · rush · last · rash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — finally
  11. mate — to breed
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — final
  14. clip — a video
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — an amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — a partner

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