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: bulb · mine · drill · degree · band · cabinet · lie · mouse

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. band — a ring
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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