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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. face — to confront
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — help
  10. kick — in football
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — in sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. face — part of the head
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kick — with a leg

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