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: march · court · cap · cabinet · coach · degree · roll · mate

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — a cake
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — a hat
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of a king
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. degree — an amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. march — music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mate — to breed

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