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 120 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: drill · saw · degree · ground · tear · chest · cabinet · ball

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — army training
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — a position
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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