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: degree · land · fork · pit · mine · charge · bowl · tear

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pit — in a race
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pit — a hole
  18. charge — in control
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. degree — an amount
  23. charge — a price
  24. land — ground

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