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: court · degree · jam · calf · cap · wound · ball · season

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. degree — temperature

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