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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. swing — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — to play on
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — of the year

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