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 · sharp · bear · straw · scale · band · last · hide

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — finally
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — to go on
  21. band — a music group
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — in music
  24. degree — from a university

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