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: perch · tube · court · present · bowl · sharp · degree · track

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — there
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — a container
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — of law
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — the fish
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. present — the time now
  14. track — a song
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a path
  18. court — of a king
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. degree — from a university

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