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: rock · bat · perch · prune · mug · firm · clip · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — a face
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — a video
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. perch — the fish
  21. firm — a company
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rock — a stone

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