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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a music group
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. band — a ring
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. degree — from a university
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — wild animals

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