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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of law
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — certain

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