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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. degree — an amount
  3. band — a ring
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stock — shares
  9. key — in music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — the time now
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — for a lock
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. season — of the year
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — obliged
  23. band — a music group
  24. bound — certain

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