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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cap — of ice
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. craft — boats
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — to recline
  15. spring — a coil
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cap — a hat
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spring — of water
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. object — an aim

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