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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tear — to rip
  5. net — in sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — the cause
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — an amount
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — temperature
  16. root — of a word
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — tied together
  23. snap — to click
  24. rest — what's left

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