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

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mug — to rob
  3. object — an aim
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — an injury
  9. object — to protest
  10. mug — a cup
  11. object — a thing
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pound — a weight
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. degree — an amount

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