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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — in sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. last — finally
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — temperature
  10. last — final
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — to go on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — for catching
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mug — a face
  17. degree — an amount
  18. land — to come down
  19. mug — to rob
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — after costs
  22. rock — music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. land — a country

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