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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — clothes
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — the season
  14. suit — in cards
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — temperature
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — dry grass

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