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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rock — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — temperature
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. pop — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bank — for money
  23. craft — boats
  24. bass — low music

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