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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — to visit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — help
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bound — certain
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — ground
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. land — a country
  24. mark — a trace

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