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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. key — in music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — for sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — from a university
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. degree — an amount

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