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: sharp · trunk · roll · tear · stick · band · scale · degree

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. roll — a list
  4. scale — in music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a ring
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. roll — a cake
  15. scale — size or range
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a music group
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — with an edge

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