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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rock — a stone
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — the season
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. charge — in control
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. row — to paddle
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a line
  24. rock — to move gently

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