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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a document
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. shower — rain
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — in football
  14. club — for golf
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. file — a tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. club — a group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an 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