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: net · drill · cold · temple · band · mug · degree · roll

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. drill — a practice
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — not warm
  11. band — a ring
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — an illness
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. roll — a list
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mug — a cup
  21. drill — the tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. roll — a cake

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