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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rock — music
  3. current — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — a position
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. current — electric
  15. face — to confront
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — an amount
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ground — the earth

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