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: rest · ground · pop · degree · squash · wound · board · dip

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. board — a committee
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rest — a break
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pop — music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. board — to get on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — the earth

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