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: roll · mine · degree · mate · pound · bass · board · net

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. roll — a list
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. roll — a cake

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