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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rock — music
  6. track — a path
  7. net — in sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — a song
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — of ice
  21. net — for catching
  22. lie — to recline
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rock — a stone

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