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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — help
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — in cards
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mark — a grade
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — to come from
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. key — in music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stem — a stem cell

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