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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. suit — in cards
  5. degree — from a university
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — a practice
  18. court — of a king
  19. suit — to fit
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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