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: hand · vault · court · racket · wound · bound · date · degree

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — an amount
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — of law
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — tied together
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — for sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. vault — a safe
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — certain
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — help
  24. date — on the calendar

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