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: swing · ball · pit · degree · fan · calf · sharp · spell

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — an amount
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — temperature
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — in a race
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. swing — in golf
  24. degree — from a university

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