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: file · lie · deal · land · pitcher · row · rush · degree

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — hurry
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — from a university
  12. file — a tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a document
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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