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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — music
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pit — in a race
  23. club — for golf
  24. bowl — to roll

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