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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. band — a music group
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a path
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. band — a ring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — letters

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