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: degree · mate · rock · pitch · ground · lean · scale · face

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rock — a stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ground — crushed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — to breed
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — a position

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