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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. root — of a word
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — a group
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cold — an illness
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. root — the cause
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bass — low music
  24. racket — for tennis

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