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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — for catching
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chip — to eat
  19. net — after costs
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — in 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