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: bulb · pop · land · key · spring · degree · cap · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pop — soda
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. key — in music
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — of water
  13. land — to come down
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. degree — temperature

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