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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spring — the season
  5. bass — the fish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — a grade
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — low music
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — of water

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