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: pop · lean · chest · face · rush · degree · mate · shower

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lean — thin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pop — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chest — a box
  12. shower — rain
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. face — to point toward
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pop — soda
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — from a university
  24. face — part of the head

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