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: net · wound · degree · hide · hand · racket · coach · file

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a line of people
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — help
  24. coach — a trainer

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