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: sharp · degree · net · dip · row · lie · calf · chest

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — a line
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — a sauce

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