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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — hasty
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stem — of a plant

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