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 · toast · swing · land · saw · root · coach · nail

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — an amount
  3. root — of a plant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — temperature
  10. swing — in golf
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. root — the cause
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — of a word
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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