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 120 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — a phone
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — a coil
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — the underground
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — of water

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