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: kick · shower · fall · tube · pitcher · safe · degree · cap

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — of ice
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fall — the season
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kick — in football
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cap — a hat
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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