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: game · degree · court · arm · perch · mug · jam · cabinet

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mug — a face
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — temperature
  7. court — of law
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. court — of a king
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — wild animals
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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