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 120 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: court · bark · chair · degree · branch · wake · racket · lean

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — a leader
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — for sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lean — thin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. branch — a division
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — from a university
  20. court — of a king
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to bend

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