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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — what's left
  4. march — the month
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a line of people
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cap — a hat
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a document
  17. march — the month
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. march — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — a cake

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