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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — of a king
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. degree — from a university
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ball — a great time
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — temperature

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