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: degree · game · mark · spring · mate · current · key · chair

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. current — electric
  3. mark — a trace
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spring — of water
  9. mate — to breed
  10. key — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mark — a grade
  14. current — happening now
  15. mate — a partner
  16. current — of water
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spring — the season

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