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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. 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. cabinet — ministers
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. 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