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: hide · land · bark · rash · file · pop · ruler · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rash — a series
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — hasty
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. degree — an amount

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