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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. last — to go on
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. last — final
  11. pop — soda
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. spring — a coil
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — to visit

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