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: temple · kick · lash · sharp · tube · degree · mouse · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — the underground
  14. sharp — clever
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — ground
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — to come down
  24. tube — in a tire

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