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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — in music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pass — a permit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fine — high quality
  11. march — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — all right
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — size or range

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