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 are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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 — to keep secret
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — in football
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — ground
  6. scale — in music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a dance
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  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