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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rock — music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — to play on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — to eat with

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