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: toast · cell · staff · perch · tube · bass · march · degree

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bass — the fish
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. toast — bread
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tube — a container
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — low music
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — music
  24. perch — 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