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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — of a king
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. court — of law
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. court — for sport
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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