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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. charge — electricity
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. land — to come down
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. track — a song
  15. land — ground
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a line
  22. charge — in control
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — a price

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