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: kick · rule · mine · ball · lie · degree · roll · dip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. ball — a great time
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — in football
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. roll — a cake
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rule — government
  15. roll — a list
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — from a university

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