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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spell — letters
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. face — to confront
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — part of the head
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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