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: spell · mouse · bulb · bear · cell · degree · hide · kid

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spell — letters
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — magic
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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