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: land · leaves · bulb · degree · pop · cell · net · cabinet

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. net — in sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — for catching
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. pop — soda
  24. cell — a phone

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