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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — a container
  10. toast — bread
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. degree — from a university
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — the underground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — in the ear

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