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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — temperature
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — of a plant
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. root — the cause
  17. bound — obliged
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — a path
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — from a university

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