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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fall — to drop
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pop — to visit
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. degree — an amount
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — temperature
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. scale — in music

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