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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. scale — size or range
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. band — a music group
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. degree — temperature
  23. band — a ring
  24. scale — in music

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