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: clip · racket · cold · bowl · foot · nail · mouse · degree

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cold — not warm
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. clip — a video
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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