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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. game — a match
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — in music
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pass — a permit
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. coach — a trainer

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