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 · cabinet · craft · bulb · key · game · row · cell

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. key — in music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. key — for a lock
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. craft — a skill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cell — in biology
  15. key — the most important part
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — a phone
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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