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: suit · scale · rush · bass · degree · content · face · chest

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chest — a box
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bass — low music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chest — of your body
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rush — to hurry

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