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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mate — to breed
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mate — a friend
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — child
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of law
  24. rash — on the skin

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