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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. roll — a list
  10. court — of law
  11. degree — an amount
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. suit — to fit
  18. toast — bread
  19. suit — in cards
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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