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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spell — magic
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — part of the head
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — to point toward
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. degree — an amount
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — temperature
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spell — a short time
  24. face — to confront

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