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: club · deal · land · cue · rash · ball · wake · degree

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — a trail
  6. degree — an amount
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cue — for pool
  10. land — a country
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cue — a hint
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — hasty
  17. degree — from a university
  18. club — for golf
  19. land — ground
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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