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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a face
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cold — not warm
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — an illness
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. current — happening now
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. tear — to rip

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