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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. mate — a partner
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — to breed
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pit — a hole
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. content — the amount

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