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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — magic
  7. staff — a stick
  8. shower — to wash
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spell — a short time
  14. degree — from a university
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lie — an untruth

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