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: court · land · cue · track · mug · craft · degree · row

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — a country
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — a hint
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mug — to rob
  12. craft — boats
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — to come down
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — a signal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. row — a line
  19. court — of law
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cue — for pool
  24. row — a quarrel

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