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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · degree · shower · chip · lash · cell

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — government
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — rain
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rule — a law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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