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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — part of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — a position
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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