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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · hide · degree · club · track · cell

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. track — a path
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pit — a hole
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cell — in biology

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