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: squash · club · file · game · ruler · degree · bulb · spring

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — to crush
  4. club — for golf
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — for dancing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. file — a line of people
  16. degree — from a university
  17. club — a group
  18. game — wild animals
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. file — a document
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. degree — an amount

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