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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lie — to recline
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — to sink
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. branch — a division
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — the fish

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