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: band · key · ball · rash · degree · kick · coach · object

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — in music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a ring
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — a thing
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a great time

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