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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. kid — child
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cap — of ice
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wind — moving air

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