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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — a weight
  7. degree — an amount
  8. capital — a city
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. capital — money
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. present — there
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — a gift

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