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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. ball — a dance
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cell — in biology
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — a phone
  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