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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. date — the fruit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bore — to tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wind — moving air

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