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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mate — a partner
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — an untruth

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