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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — for sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. court — of law
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bound — certain
  19. court — of a king
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wound — an injury

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