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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cap — of ice
  6. shower — rain
  7. row — a line
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — to paddle
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — from a university
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — to wash

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