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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rest — a break
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. clip — a video
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fine — all right
  23. degree — from a university
  24. foot — a measure

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