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: wake · wound · mate · kid · mouse · cue · pitcher · degree

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. degree — temperature
  4. kid — child
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kid — to tease
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cue — a signal

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