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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. file — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a document
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — to go on
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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