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: mine · swing · straw · game · craft · bay · leaves · degree

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a match
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. craft — boats
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mine — for digging
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. degree — temperature
  23. swing — music
  24. leaves — to go away

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