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: wound · degree · squash · pound · lean · club · court · perch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. court — of law
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — for sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of a king
  17. degree — an amount
  18. club — a group
  19. lean — thin
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. squash — the sport

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