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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — of a king
  4. cue — a signal
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bank — for money
  10. cue — a hint
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — for pool
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. court — of law
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — of a river
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — happy
  23. scale — size or range
  24. content — videos and posts

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