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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — army training
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — a coil
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — an amount
  24. band — a music group

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