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: temple · degree · key · court · bass · tube · date · pass

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pass — a permit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — in music
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. bass — low music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — for sport
  22. date — the fruit
  23. court — of law
  24. bass — the fish

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