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: snap · file · pitch · vault · shower · degree · kick · calf

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. degree — temperature
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. kick — in football
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — to wash
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — rain
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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