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: racket · court · straw · shower · rush · degree · lash · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — an amount
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rush — hurry
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mark — a trace
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — for sport
  23. degree — from a university
  24. court — of law

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