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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — the season
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — of the year
  9. chest — a box
  10. court — for sport
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — electric
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. court — of law

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