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 · pitch · deal · racket · race · prune · drill · foot

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitch — completely
  4. drill — army training
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — a contest
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. prune — to trim
  13. foot — a measure
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — the bottom

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