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: degree · chest · nail · cabinet · wound · court · foot · pound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — a box
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of a king
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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