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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pop — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — a jug

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