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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — army training
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — wild animals

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