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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mug — to rob
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a face
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. branch — a division
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. capital — money
  18. tear — from crying

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