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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ball — a dance
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — a series
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rash — hasty
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. scale — in music

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