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: track · date · degree · squash · race · cap · bound · rest

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — tied together
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cap — a lid
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — a contest
  11. rest — a break
  12. date — the fruit
  13. squash — the sport
  14. track — a path
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — obliged
  17. degree — an amount
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bound — certain
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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