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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bass — low music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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