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: tear · field · date · degree · mug · staff · can · row

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — to rob
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — a line
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mug — a face
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — a stick
  18. tear — from crying
  19. date — the fruit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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