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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — a box
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — part of the body

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