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: mate · degree · arm · mug · bat · spell · spring · toast

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — of water
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mug — a face
  9. mate — a friend
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spell — letters
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mug — to rob
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. bat — for baseball

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