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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. current — electric
  3. march — the month
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — a group
  6. current — happening now
  7. club — for dancing
  8. scale — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. degree — temperature
  11. root — of a plant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. club — for golf
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. vault — a safe
  17. march — music
  18. root — of a word
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. root — the cause
  22. swing — in golf
  23. current — of water
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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