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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · pitcher · leaves · degree · pound · tear · nail · snap

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — temperature
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tear — to rip
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a tool

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