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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — low music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rest — a break
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bass — the fish
  9. craft — boats
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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