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 116 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — a stone
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rock — music
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — an amount
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cue — a hint
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to confront
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rock — to move gently

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