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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — a group
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. prune — to trim
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pass — a permit
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. pop — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — the cause
  19. row — a line
  20. root — of a word
  21. degree — an amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. degree — temperature
  24. row — to paddle

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