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: roll · row · file · degree · court · branch · lean · scale

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a document
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a line of people
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lean — to bend
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — size or range
  14. file — a tool
  15. roll — a cake
  16. scale — in music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. court — of a king
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — a division
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. roll — a list
  24. court — for sport

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