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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — the earth
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — from a university
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. degree — an amount
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mug — a face
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — crushed
  17. degree — temperature
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. dip — to sink
  24. sharp — clever

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