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: swing · calf · perch · field · lash · degree · roll · ruler

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — in golf
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. roll — a list
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. field — a subject
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lash — to lash out

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