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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — in sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bore — to drill
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bore — gave birth

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