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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. track — a song
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — help
  18. race — a contest
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. track — to keep track
  21. race — humankind
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — to rip
  24. race — the arms race

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