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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — the season
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — happening now
  8. spring — of water
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — a coil
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — rain
  19. date — the fruit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. current — electric
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

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