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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ball — a great time
  7. firm — steady
  8. rock — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — a company
  13. clip — a video
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rock — a stone
  20. firm — decided
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — the animal

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