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: drill · date · temple · degree · mug · cabinet · hand · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. drill — a practice
  7. degree — an amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hand — help

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