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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — a line
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — for betting

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