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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. club — for golf
  5. pass — a permit
  6. season — in sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. club — a group
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — a big letter

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