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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rest — a break
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ground — a position
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — soda
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — what's left

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