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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a music group
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — to breed
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. file — a line of people
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pop — soda
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. file — a tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pop — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. season — of the year

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