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: march · nail · pound · foot · degree · band · object · racket

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. object — a thing
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. march — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — a measure
  16. object — an aim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — on a finger

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