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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — thin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — for sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. court — of law
  24. field — a subject

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