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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — low music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cell — in biology
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cell — a phone

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