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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · present · bat · degree · craft · court

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. present — a gift
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — for sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. present — there
  13. bat — the animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — boats
  16. court — of law
  17. present — the time now
  18. march — the month

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