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: last · vault · rule · pitch · club · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rule — government
  7. pitch — completely
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rule — a law
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — final
  14. club — a group
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — to go on

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