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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lean — to bend
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. clip — to cut
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. face — to point toward
  22. clip — a video
  23. lean — thin
  24. clip — for paper

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