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: jam · race · wave · clip · band · mine · can · degree

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. race — humankind
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. can — to be able to
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. race — a contest
  15. clip — a video
  16. band — a ring
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — temperature

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