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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — happening now
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — a hat

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