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: straw · rest · wave · fan · object · rush · degree · squash

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — to protest
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — hurry
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wave — of the sea

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