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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hand — help
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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