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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. swing — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. swing — in golf

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