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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — rain
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bass — low music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — in music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — size or range
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — to tire
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — to drill

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