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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. can — a tin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. file — a tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rest — a break
  11. press — newspapers
  12. can — a tin
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rest — what's left

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