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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — happy
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. shower — to wash
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. dip — to sink
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — temperature
  23. content — the amount
  24. bound — tied together

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