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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — hasty
  24. dip — a sauce

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