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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — an amount
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cold — an illness
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. degree — temperature
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a dance
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. court — for sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. court — of a king
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — the underground
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — from a university

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