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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. band — a music group
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mine — for digging
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. degree — temperature
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cap — of ice

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