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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. net — in sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. net — for catching
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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