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: lash · court · stick · file · row · sharp · degree · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — of a king
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. file — a document
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — clever
  18. file — a tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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