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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tear — from crying
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a line
  12. chip — for betting
  13. perch — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wound — an injury
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — belonging to me

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