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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. firm — decided
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. roll — a cake
  17. firm — a company
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — a position
  24. firm — steady

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