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: wake · key · lash · degree · chest · ground · tube · shower

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ground — crushed
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — a position
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chest — of your body

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