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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a plant
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wind — moving air
  13. degree — from a university
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. object — an aim
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — bread
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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