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: dip · face · roll · cell · mouse · degree · ruler · pit

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in biology
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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