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 120 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: pop · board · ground · wind · perch · degree · track · mine

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — a path
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — soda
  10. degree — an amount
  11. board — to get on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. degree — from a university
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — temperature

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