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 · prune · firm · bank · degree · racket · object · bat

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — a company
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. bank — for money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. firm — steady
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — temperature
  22. firm — decided
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bank — for money

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