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 · scale · tear · row · bore · wake · mate · wave

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. degree — from a university
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a friend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — to paddle
  12. degree — an amount
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. scale — in music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — before a funeral

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