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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stock — shares
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stock — goods
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lie — to recline

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