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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — for paper
  5. race — humankind
  6. degree — temperature
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. race — a contest
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. deal — to handle
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pound — a weight
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. degree — from a university

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