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: mine · degree · mouse · row · bass · mate · bark · current

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. mate — a friend
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mate — to breed
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — to shout
  24. row — a line

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