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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — all right
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stock — shares
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — a country
  24. stock — goods

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