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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — for money
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. key — the most important part

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