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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — of a king
  5. file — a tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — of law
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — of water
  12. fine — all right
  13. kick — in football
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a document
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — to bear

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