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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — low music

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