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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. degree — temperature
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — steady
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. bat — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tear — to rip
  15. file — a tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. tube — a container
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — in music
  23. firm — a company
  24. land — to come down

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