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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spring — the season
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cap — a lid
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — for catching
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — a video
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — a coil
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. net — in sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spring — of water

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