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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. race — a contest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — a practice
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fall — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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