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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — the underground
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — a path
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — part of the head
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. content — happy
  20. bass — the fish
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — a container
  24. track — a song

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