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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — humankind
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. board — to get on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. race — the arms race
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. board — a committee
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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