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 · game · straw · degree · row · plane · race · bear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. row — a line
  4. race — the arms race
  5. degree — an amount
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. row — to paddle
  24. plane — a tool

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