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: hand · degree · bulb · lie · mark · content · temple · perch

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. content — happy
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. degree — an amount
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — for a bird

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