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: march · cabinet · patient · chest · degree · roll · court · nail

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — music
  9. roll — a list
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — a box
  17. degree — from a university
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. court — of a king

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