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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. race — the arms race
  3. tear — to rip
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — to keep track
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. track — a song
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — an amount
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — to crush
  18. dip — to sink
  19. degree — from a university
  20. net — after costs
  21. race — humankind
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — the vegetable

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