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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — a skill
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. craft — boats
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — to rip
  16. degree — an amount
  17. last — to go on
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — a weight

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