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: firm · plane · pitch · mine · degree · present · cell · wave

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. firm — steady
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitch — completely
  10. present — the time now
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cell — a phone
  14. firm — a company
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — from a university
  20. present — there
  21. firm — decided
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. plane — an aircraft

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