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 120 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: tear · wave · bound · charge · saw · degree · ruler · fall

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — a price
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. degree — temperature
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wave — with your hand

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