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: bass · game · rash · bore · jam · degree · wake · bark

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — temperature
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bass — the fish
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — low music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rash — hasty

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