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: degree · squash · cabinet · plane · rush · key · season · field

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rush — hurry
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — an amount
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — farmland
  24. plane — a tool

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