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 116 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: game · current · cold · cabinet · bat · degree · chip · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cold — an illness
  7. game — wild animals
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. current — of water
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — not warm
  13. current — happening now
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — for betting
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — a match
  18. current — electric
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chip — to eat

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