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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cell — in biology
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. court — of a king
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of law
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — a friend

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