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: lie · snap · last · degree · ruler · mug · chip · squash

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — from a university
  3. last — final
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to click
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. last — finally

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