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

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of law
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. degree — temperature
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bound — obliged
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — a law
  21. court — of a king
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — a match
  24. rule — government

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