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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — to play on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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