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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — of law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — the season
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — a sick person

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