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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a document
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a dance
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. file — a line of people
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — an amount
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ball — a great time

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