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

Word bank: track · degree · march · rest · prune · spell · leaves · rule

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spell — a short time
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — to keep track
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — magic
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — government
  24. track — a path

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