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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — a coil
  5. key — the most important part
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spring — of water
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. key — in music
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — a kind of play

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