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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — to protest
  6. fine — all right
  7. roll — a list
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — final
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — an aim
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — the season
  24. fine — high quality

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