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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. clip — a video
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — temperature
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — a line
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. clip — for paper

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