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: jam · degree · sharp · field · pass · kid · cold · mouse

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. sharp — clever
  18. field — for sport
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kid — child
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. field — a subject

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