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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. degree — temperature
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pass — a permit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. content — happy
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — to grow

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