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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fine — all right
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — to rip
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a document
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fine — a penalty

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