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: bulb · rock · band · cold · temple · net · ground · degree

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. net — after costs
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a ring
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. band — a music group
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. net — in sport
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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