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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pop — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cue — for pool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — rain
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. degree — an amount
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — of a tree

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