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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. degree — an amount
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. degree — temperature
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — to breed
  24. perch — for a bird

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