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 on a ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bank — for money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. content — happy
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — a list
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bank — for money
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — music
  19. march — music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bank — of a river

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