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: rock · calf · degree · rule · racket · pass · straw · wave

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rock — music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rule — government
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rule — a law
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wave — of the sea

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