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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — of law
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of a king
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ball — a dance
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. sharp — exactly

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