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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kick — in football
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — a tin
  10. charge — in control
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. charge — a price
  20. ground — crushed
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. charge — electricity
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wake — a trail

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