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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. staff — employees
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rest — a break
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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