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: mate · net · firm · last · branch · prune · coach · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. degree — an amount
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — a company
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — decided
  16. degree — temperature
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — steady
  24. coach — a trainer

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