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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ground — crushed
  4. degree — from a university
  5. clip — a video
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. court — for sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — final
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — for paper
  21. court — of law
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. arm — part of the body

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