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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. deal — to handle
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — an amount
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spell — magic
  13. toast — bread
  14. land — a country
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. degree — from a university
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cap — a lid
  24. face — to confront

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