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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — to paddle
  8. swing — in golf
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. suit — in cards
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — crushed
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. degree — an amount
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. row — a line

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