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: deal · plane · leaves · last · degree · chest · hand · face

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — a box
  6. face — part of the head
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — help
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — to handle
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. plane — a tool
  18. last — final
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — to go on
  24. hand — in cards

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