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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. track — a song
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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