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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to sink
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. scale — in music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bark — to shout
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. nail — for a hammer

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