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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — to go on
  8. current — electric
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. field — a subject
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — happening now
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. current — of water
  17. degree — temperature
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — for sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — a line
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a quarrel

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