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 120 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: lie · spell · degree · tube · ground · land · sharp · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — temperature
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — soda
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — to come down
  17. degree — an amount
  18. tube — a container
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pop — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — magic

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