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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. file — a tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. file — a document
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. mug — a face
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bank — of a river
  24. file — a line of people

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