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: degree · field · shower · can · fan · arm · calf · foot

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. degree — from a university
  3. field — farmland
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. can — to be able to
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. foot — a measure
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — for sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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