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: rock · cell · degree · tube · bank · file · cap · fall

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a document
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fall — the season
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — a phone
  23. file — a tool
  24. degree — an amount

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