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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — from a university
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — in music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — for dancing
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. perch — the fish
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — to crush

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