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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. date — the fruit
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. wake — a trail
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. current — of water
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — electric

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