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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. last — final
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. last — to go on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — an amount
  24. last — finally

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