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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — for catching
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. date — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. degree — temperature

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