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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. shower — rain
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. key — for a lock
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — in music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. band — a ring
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ground — crushed
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a music group
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. key — the most important part
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. ground — a position
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a round shape

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