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 116 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: file · hand · court · ruler · degree · tear · bound · fan

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. court — for sport
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a document
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tear — from crying

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