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: kick · net · race · fall · spring · nail · can · degree

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. degree — temperature
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — to be able to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — after costs

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