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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — of water
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — low music
  15. firm — decided
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. court — of law
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — a young animal

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