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: hand · clip · field · prune · rush · present · bay · degree

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. field — a subject
  7. present — the time now
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rush — hurry
  10. present — there
  11. clip — to cut
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — a gift
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — for sport
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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