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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mark — a grade
  6. content — the amount
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — what's left
  9. content — happy
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — from a university
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rest — a break
  15. land — a country
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — ground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. land — to come down

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