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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pit — in a race
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bound — certain
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — an amount
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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