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: row · degree · ball · calf · march · perch · chip · roll

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — temperature
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. degree — from a university
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — a cake
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a great time

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