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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. can — a tin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — after costs
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — for catching
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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