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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. suit — to fit
  3. net — after costs
  4. bass — low music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. degree — temperature
  7. board — a committee
  8. clip — to cut
  9. net — in sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — for paper
  20. degree — an amount
  21. clip — a video
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — a phone

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