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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — a practice
  9. roll — a list
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — a position
  17. drill — army training
  18. key — the most important part
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — crushed
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wind — moving air

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