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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. dip — to sink
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — in music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bass — low music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cold — an illness
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — the fish
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mouse — the animal

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