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: pass · racket · degree · track · kick · mine · court · bound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bound — certain
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. degree — an amount
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pass — a permit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bound — tied together
  19. track — a path
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. court — of law
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. court — of a king
  24. bound — obliged

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