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: degree · arm · squash · rash · content · bowl · cue · patient

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cue — for pool
  5. content — the amount
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a signal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rash — a series
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bowl — a football final

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