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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spell — letters
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — the season
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spring — a coil

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