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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. degree — from a university
  3. snap — to click
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — temperature
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — a price
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pit — in a race
  21. charge — in control
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a hole

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