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 116 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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tear — from crying
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — a line
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — low music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. capital — money
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — of ice
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. squash — the sport

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