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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — finally
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — to go on
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rock — a stone
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — a tin

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