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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. present — the time now
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — happening now
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — of water
  13. present — a gift
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — rain
  16. present — there
  17. spring — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. degree — an amount
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — electric
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. sharp — exactly

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