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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. key — in music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fork — a garden tool

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