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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — in sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — low music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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