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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pit — in a race
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — final
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — finally
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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