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: rock · kick · file · degree · race · stand · land · nail

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rock — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. race — a contest
  12. land — to come down
  13. race — humankind
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — ground
  21. race — the arms race
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. file — a tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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