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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — a series
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of a king
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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