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: court · cell · degree · shower · can · game · bulb · nail

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cell — in biology
  5. shower — to wash
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — rain
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — a match
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — a phone

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