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: wave · march · firm · spring · jam · net · court · degree

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. court — for sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. court — of law
  17. march — the month
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — decided
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. firm — a company
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. net — after costs

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