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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lean — thin
  14. file — a tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. file — a document
  23. dip — a sauce
  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