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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. degree — an amount
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — from a university
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lie — to recline
  18. race — the arms race
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — humankind
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bank — for money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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