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: band · sharp · degree · shower · stick · rule · pitch · root

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. degree — from a university
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — clever
  17. shower — rain
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — of a word
  22. band — a music group
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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