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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — of the year
  5. race — a contest
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. race — the arms race
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — exactly

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