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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — an amount
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. band — a music group
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — a gift
  15. degree — from a university
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bear — the animal
  18. present — there
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. band — a ring

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