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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — final
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. shower — rain
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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