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: track · degree · object · current · mate · patient · wind · spring

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. current — of water
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — to keep track
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a friend
  16. object — an aim
  17. track — a path
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. current — electric
  24. spring — of water

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