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: prune · wave · degree · chair · plane · spell · roll · court

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chair — a leader
  5. roll — a cake
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. court — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. plane — a tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. spell — letters
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wave — of the sea

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