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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. scale — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — to tease
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. kid — child
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — from a university
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. degree — an amount

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