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 · ground · fall · kick · face · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rule — government
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fall — to drop

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