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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. degree — from a university
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — certain
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a line
  22. staff — a stick
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — employees

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