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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — a permit
  12. toast — bread
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kid — to tease
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — child

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