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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — help
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — a division
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — temperature
  14. capital — money
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cue — a signal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — a city

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