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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pop — to visit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. degree — an amount
  7. band — a music group
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. roll — a list
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a ring
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — soda
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. squash — to crush

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