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: court · season · rush · date · vault · craft · degree · rest

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — a safe
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — the fruit
  10. season — of the year
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — boats
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. court — of law
  19. season — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — temperature

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