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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. swing — in golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fine — high quality
  11. present — the time now
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — to come down
  16. present — there
  17. land — ground
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. date — the fruit

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