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: band · track · kid · degree · straw · bank · object · shower

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — a path
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — to keep track
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kid — to tease
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. object — an aim
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. band — a music group
  13. kid — child
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. object — to protest
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — a song
  19. degree — temperature
  20. band — a ring
  21. object — a thing
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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