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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. shower — rain
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — to wash
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pound — a weight
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a match
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — a grade
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — from a university
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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