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: spring · sharp · season · net · degree · wax · trunk · race

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — temperature
  5. sharp — clever
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wax — to grow
  9. race — a contest
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spring — a coil
  13. race — the arms race
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. net — for catching
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spring — of water

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