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: spring · lie · rush · content · pitcher · jam · kid · degree

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — an amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spring — of water
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — the season
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. content — happy

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