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: land · degree · prune · rock · shower · capital · pit · game

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — ground
  15. capital — a city
  16. game — wild animals
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. capital — money
  20. land — a country
  21. game — a match
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pit — a hole
  24. prune — to trim

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