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: tear · toast · net · march · degree · club · ground · pitcher

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — the earth
  6. march — the month
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. march — the month
  13. club — for dancing
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ground — a position
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. club — for golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — in sport

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