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

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — to rip
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kid — child
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mark — a grade
  13. club — a group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. arm — part of the body
  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