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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. pop — soda
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — for digging
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to click
  24. mine — belonging to me

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