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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. race — a contest
  18. mark — a trace
  19. race — humankind
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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