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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — from a university
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — temperature
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — for sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wake — a trail
  24. scale — size or range

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