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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — an amount
  3. court — of a king
  4. pit — in a race
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — a hole
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. court — for sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — of the year
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — to add flavour

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