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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — a box
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — the season
  15. ground — a position
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — from a university

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