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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — a country
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — not warm
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — to come down
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — to rob
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. degree — from a university

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