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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. scale — in music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — size or range
  9. face — to confront
  10. degree — an amount
  11. vault — a safe
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — in football
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cell — in biology
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cell — a phone

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