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: row · court · degree · bass · snap · bowl · rock · bat

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bass — the fish
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. court — of law
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of a king
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — a line
  15. bass — low music
  16. rock — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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