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: ground · wind · stand · degree · spell · wake · cell · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. present — the time now
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — there
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ground — crushed

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