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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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