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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. last — to go on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — for dancing
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. club — for golf
  22. last — final
  23. tear — to rip
  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