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: rush · date · degree · face · root · staff · object · nail

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — from a university
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. face — to point toward
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — the cause
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. object — a thing
  16. face — to confront
  17. date — the fruit
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — an aim
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — temperature
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rush — to hurry

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