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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of law
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — for sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a tool

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