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: bat · degree · chip · track · cabinet · pit · squash · racket

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pit — in a race
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. track — a path
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. track — a song

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