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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — a box
  4. land — ground
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — low music
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — a country
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — to come down
  24. degree — temperature

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