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: lash · tear · prune · nail · degree · track · sharp · coach

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — to rip
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — from a university
  24. sharp — clever

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