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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — a tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — in music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spring — of water
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. key — the most important part

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