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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a dance
  12. key — for a lock
  13. drill — the tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — army training
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. drill — a practice

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