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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. scale — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rash — hasty
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — final
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — the season
  20. last — to go on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. degree — from a university

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