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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. content — the amount
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pound — a weight
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. degree — from a university
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. capital — money
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pound — to hit hard

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