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: degree · court · bank · clip · mouse · face · wind · safe

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bank — for money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — for sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — a video
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — of law
  24. face — to confront

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