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: cue · calf · last · date · pitch · court · staff · degree

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. court — for sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. last — final
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cue — a hint
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — finally
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — to go on
  21. staff — employees
  22. degree — temperature
  23. court — of law
  24. staff — a stick

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