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: degree · arm · mine · wind · calf · stick · snap · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — of law
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mine — for digging
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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