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 120 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: degree · rush · field · lie · bound · deal · court · ruler

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — for sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — of law
  9. field — farmland
  10. bound — obliged
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — for sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — of a king
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bound — tied together
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ruler — for measuring

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