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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spring — of water
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — of a river
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — low music
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — a law
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. bass — the instrument

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