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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bark — to shout
  7. degree — an amount
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. spring — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a line
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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