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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — music
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. bass — low music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rock — a stone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — magic

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