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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pit — a hole
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kid — child
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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