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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — a hole
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — in a race
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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