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: dip · rush · field · staff · land · perch · degree · rash

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. field — farmland
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — a subject
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rush — hurry
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. perch — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

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