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 116 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: race · ground · degree · capital · bore · wave · vault · fine

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bore — to drill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. race — humankind
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. capital — money
  12. race — a contest
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — a position
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — a big letter

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