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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — to paddle
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fine — high quality
  6. row — a line
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cell — in biology
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fine — all right
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — to confront
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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