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

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — for catching
  3. plane — a tool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — temperature
  13. track — a path
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — after costs
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — a horse colour

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